Monday, June 13, 2016

Power Animals

Judith Ashley
is the author of The Sacred Women's Circle series, romantic fiction that honors
spiritual traditions that nurture the soul.

Last week I talked about the snowy owl mask my circle
sister, Heather, made for me. This week I’d like to talk a bit more about power
animals or personal totems.

There are formal ways to ascertain what your power
animal is and also informal ways. Today I’m talking about the informal process.
In some ways it’s as simple as asking the question: Are you a dog person or a
cat person?”

In other words what animals are you drawn to?

I see red tail hawks no one else sees. They are an anomaly
in a tree’s structure. While the red tail hawk is not my primary power animal,
it is one of my animal totems.

I can also spot whales spouting when other folks miss
them. I have a physical or visceral reaction to seeing the sleek black back
break water. My breathing fractures if I’m so lucky to see one breach.

But what brings me the most comfort is the snowy owl.

My horse drum

This owl has many of the same characteristics as all other owls but it is more
diurnal than nocturnal. In the arctic tundra there aren’t a lot of trees so
some actually build nests on the ground (or on ledges on cliffs). I’ve only
seen snowy owls in person a couple of times. Once was in a raptor rescue center
and the other was when I flew into Logan airport decades ago and all these
white birds were on the grassy areas between the runways. At that time in my
life, I didn’t even know what they were—only that I was smitten by them.

If you want to find someone who can help you formally
figure out your power animal, here are a couple of ideas:

Check with metaphysical stores near you. They may know
someone who holds classes or helps people identify their totems.

Look for shamans. Again your metaphysical store may be
the best place to look.

A process called “journeying” is involved. Journeying
is facilitated by drumming so check out stores that sell drums (not the drum
sets musicians).

You can learn more about
The Sacred Women’s Circle series on my website.